[Reader-list] Technology: '.name' Web suffix for individuals kicks off

[Harsh Kapoor]

Technology: '.name' Web suffix for individuals kicks off

Copyright © 2002 AP Online

By ANICK JESDANUN, Associated Press

NEW YORK (January 14, 2002 4:09 p.m. EST) - Joining the familiar 
".com" and ".org" domain names, the first Internet address suffixes 
created exclusively for individuals - ".name" - debuted Tuesday.

Currently, Internet users with personal Web sites tend to use ".org," 
which is commonly associated with nonprofits.

Operators of ".name" are hoping individuals will be lured by e-mail 
and Web addresses featuring their own names.

The London-based Global Name Registry, which in 2000 proposed and won 
rights to administer the suffix, is also exploring expanding ".name" 
to mobile phones and other personal devices later this year.

"We think the personal space is in its infancy," said Andrew Tsai, 
the registry's chief executive.

The ".name" suffix was one of seven approved in November 2000 by the 
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, an Internet 
oversight body. They are the first major additions to the domain name 
system since its creation in the mid-1980s.

The new names were approved to help relieve domain name overcrowding. 
Registration of ".com," ".net" and ".org" names more than tripled in 
2000, ending the year at 28.2 million.

But tackling the details of actually creating the new suffixes took 
much longer than expected. In the meantime, the Internet economy 
slid, and names lost much of their speculative value.

Total domain name registrations increased only slightly in 2001, a 
13.5 percent jump to 32 million as of September.

Ross Stevens of New York got ".name" addresses for himself, his wife 
and a 6-month-old daughter. He plans to set up a Web page with baby 
pictures and to use ".name" for lifetime e-mail addresses.

The service costs about $30 a year for both e-mail and Web addresses. 
The fee is for the name only; the user still would have to set up an 
e-mail account or buy Web space from an Internet service provider.

Two other suffixes, ".biz" for businesses and ".info" for 
informational sites, debuted last fall, with more than 1.2 million 
names registered combined.

In addition, ".museum" began operating in November on a provisional 
basis, meaning assigned names may still change, and ".coop" for 
business cooperatives became active Jan. 9. A few thousand names have 
been requested under each.

Debuting later this year are ".aero" for aviation and ".pro" for professionals.

The Global Name Registry began allowing pre-registrations in earnest 
last month for ".name" suffixes. For duplicate names requested as of 
Dec. 17, one was selected at random. The first batch of 60,000 names 
was to be activated Tuesday.

Additional rounds will be activated every two weeks or less until 
"live" registration begins in mid-May.

Tsai said the slow rollout should help the ".name" registry avoid 
some of the troubles that ".biz" and ".info" faced.

The ".info" registry failed to block some bogus trademark claims, 
while the ".biz" operators were hit with a lawsuit charging that 
their procedures amounted to an illegal lottery. Both ".info" and 
".biz" changed their procedures to address the concerns.

The seven new domain names:

".info" - For informational sites. Became operational Sept. 23, with 
more than 700,000 registered so far. Early problems with speculators 
jumping ahead of queue by claiming bogus trademark ownership. To 
rectify, operators of ".info" plan to refer as many as 10,000 
registrations this week to arbitrators at the World Intellectual 
Property Organization.

".biz" - For businesses only. Became operational Oct. 1. Lawsuit 
challenged registration process, calling it illegal lottery. To 
address concerns, operators changed procedures for handling names for 
which more than one application was received. More than 500,000 names 
registered through mid-December.

".name" - Individuals can register a name in form of 
"firstname.lastname.name" for Web sites and 
"firstname(at)lastname.name" for e-mail addresses. About 60,000 names 
were to be activated Tuesday.

".museum" - Names for some museums were approved provisionally in 
November. Some names work now, but the suffix becomes formally 
operational in March. Names subdivided by location as in 
"sanfrancisco.museum" and type of museum as in "maritime.museum." 
Index available at http://index.museum.

".aero" - For aviation industry. Registration begins in March.

".coop" - For business cooperatives, such as credit unions and 
electric coops. Some preregistered names became active earlier this 
month. Regular registration begins Jan. 30.

".pro" - For professionals, initially doctors, lawyers and 
accountants. Individuals and companies requesting names must show 
proof. Details still being negotiated.

Copyright © 2002 Nando Media